


Saving Sam

by waterbird13



Series: Tumblr Fics [307]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: (written while season ten was airing), Alternate season ten, Attempted Murder, Dean goes full demon on Sam again, Demon Cure, Demon Dean, M/M, dean negative, murderous Dean, the sastiel is really light and could be read shippy or platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 14:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8493352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterbird13/pseuds/waterbird13
Summary: Cas has been preparing for this for months, knowing subconsciously there would be a day where he has to save Sam from his brother.





	1. Chapter 1

Cas has been preparing for this moment for a while now. It’s mostly been subconscious, or what counts for subconscious for an angel, anyways, waiting tensed and on edge, knowing that things are going to go wrong sooner rather than later.

It couldn’t have come on a nicer day, which just proves than even the weather lies. Everything seems fine until the calm is shattered and Cas hears the panicked prayer. It’s not even organized thoughts, not any sort of coherent message, but it’s enough to tell Cas that things have finally, inevitably, gone wrong.

The Mark finally pushed Dean over the edge, and Cas would guess he’s more demon than human now. He’s coming after Sam again, just like he had when Sam had tried to cure him, only now he has an axe instead of a hammer. Dean’s swinging at walls and furniture, full of blind rage, and it’s slowing him down, but eventually, Cas knows, he’s going to catch up to Sam.

Cas doesn’t wait around. He doesn’t overestimate his own abilities, either. He’s a perfectly ordinary angel, no match for the most powerful almost-demon around. Perhaps, with Dean still is some transitional, between state like he is, Cas could try to take him. But he won’t try, because he has another priority.

He grabs Sam and disappears, bringing him to an old cabin of Rufus Turner’s, a place Dean won’t think to look right away. Sam squirms out of his arms, turning to face Cas.

Cas was not expecting gratitude, but he was also not expecting hostility. He frowns when Sam glares at him.

“We can’t–I have to–Dean–my responsibility–” Sam begins.

“Dean was about to kill you,” Cas says simply.

Sam’s brow furrows and he shakes his head. “I could snap him out of it. I’ve always been able to–he always comes back–”

“You always knew there would be a time when he didn’t,” Cas says as gently as he can. Even so, Sam flinches. “Sam, Dean would have killed you. Right now, he wouldn’t have cared. The Mark–he’s halfway to being a demon and it’s turning him into that.”

“We can _save_  him!” Sam argues. “And instead, we’re sitting around here, wasting time.”

“We’re _planning,”_ Cas emphasizes. “We cannot go against Dean without a plan. Hopefully, the Bunker will keep him occupied for a day or two, giving us some time. We need a plan, Sam,” he stresses, needing Sam to see sense and not rush into saving his brother headfirst. Sam knows this, but Dean blinds him. 

But Cas didn’t pull him out of Dean’s clutches only to watch him run straight back in, not without a plan. They will figure this out. He’s an angel and Sam’s the smartest human he knows. Together, they will figure things out.

Sam still looks mutinous for a moment, but he sighs, then nods. Cas steps forward, knowing the first step has been made. He steers Sam towards a chair.

“What’re you doing?” Sam asks as Cas gently pushes him into the dusty old armchair.

Cas shakes his head. “You need rest, Sam. Look at you–you’re shaking. You just went through something horrible. Breathe. Relax.”

“We don’t have time!” Sam protests.

“I will get started. You rest,” Cas says as firmly as he can. He runs a hand over Sam’s incredibly tense shoulder, wishing he could do something more than give Sam some time to relax. But Sam is right. This is really all they can afford, right now.

Sam sighs but acquiesces. “Ten minutes,” he says grudgingly.

Cas wants to give him hours. Forever, maybe, to relax and not worry any more, because Sam Winchester has done enough worrying for several lifetimes. Instead, he sighs and nods. “Of course,” he says, knowing which battles to pick, and which to surrender to before they even truly begin.

Keeping them all alive is the biggest battle. If they walk away from this, then Cas will start to work on getting Sam to truly relax then.


	2. Chapter 2

It takes bags of blood, some specially reinfoced shackles, a good amount of trickery and angel grace, a powerful spell, and Hannah’s help cleaning up the mess to get Dean back to human again, and by the time it’s done, Sam looks ready to drop dead, right there.

Cas can hardly blame him. He doesn’t know the last time Sam slept, or even ate anything. He’s been running himself ragged to save his brother.

Apparently being a demon wore Dean out, so he’s asleep in one of the cabin’s two bedrooms. Cas wants to check the bunker out himself before suggesting they go back there, so he can see how bad the damage is. He wishes he could tuck Sam into his own bed, though. Then again, he’s seen Sam’s bed, and it’s not any better than the old bed in the small back bedroom of the cabin.

“You should sleep,” Cas says, laying a hand on Sam’s shoulder.

Sam shakes his head. “Still stuff to do, Dean needs–”

“You need to rest,” Cas says as gently as he can. “You’re no good if you break down.”

Sam swallows at that, then nods. “Right.”

“And,” Cas continues, now that he’s gotten through to Sam, “I wish you would take better care of yourself. For you.” He rubs his thumb over Sam’s shoulder. “It’s over, Sam. You don’t have to be responsible. You can relax for a while.”

Sam laughs shakily. “I don’t know how to, anymore,” he admits. “It’s been…go, go, go for so long. Always something to do, something to take care of…”

“You can start by going to bed,” Cas says firmly. “Sleep, Sam. Get a full night’s sleep, for once. We’ll work from there.”

Sam nods, then stands up, stretching as he does. Cas watches him retreat to the back room but doesn’t follow until Sam’s had a good while to settle in. Then, he pushes open the door as quietly as he can, and looks in on the sleeping hunter.

Sam’s boots are on the floor, and his overshirt thrown over them, but he’s still wearing his jeans and t-shirt underneath the blankets. He’s sleeping on his chest, one arm underneath the pillows.

Cas is drawn forward. He just planned to look, but he can’t just leave. He straightens the blankets and tucks Sam’s hair behind his ears. At least the hunter is asleep. In fact, he seems more deeply asleep than Cas has ever seen him, more than likely completely warn out, his body needing this sleep so desperately.

Cas runs his fingers through Sam’s hair again, messing it up where he just so carefully tucked it back. He does it again, and Sam seems to snuggle even deeper into his pillow.

Cas forces himself to stand up; the last thing he wants to do is accidentally wake Sam up. “Sleep well, my friend,” he says. “I’ll take care of everything until you wake up.”


End file.
